Improvement in fire-escapes



C. HENRY. FIRE-ESCAPE.

Patented July 10,1877

,No.19z,995.

INVENTOR- WITNESSES- @yX/51M r.'

N.PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHIGTUN, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

CORNELIUS HENRY, OF EAST SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO ALEXANDER H. EVANS, OF WASHINGTON, D. C.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ESICA'PES.

Specication forming part of Ltters Patent No. 192,995, dated J uly'10, 1877; application filed June 26, 1877. Y

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CORNELIUS HENRY, of East Somerville, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a clear,

full, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same.

My invention relates to the class of inventions. known as fire-escapes, by which persons are rescued from burning buildings; and it consists in the combination of devices hereinafter explained and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe the exact manner in which I have carried it out.

Fire-escapes now in use have proven impracticable from being complicated or difficult to handle, or their usefulness has depended on the action of the parties in danger -from the fire, and who. have rarely presence of mind sufficient to enable them to use the means of escape at hand. They have also been costly, and not adapted to general use.

'My invention is simple in construction, costs comparatively little, and is safe and certain in its action. It is easily lstored in any hotel, store, or dwelling, and is always ready for use.

' In the drawings, A represents a mattress of ordinary construction, secured upon a sheet, B, made of heavy canvas, or other suitable material. The sheet B is secured, in turn, to the lower sheet or canvas C by means of coiled or other suitable springs b b, as shown in the drawings. The lower sheet beinglarger than the upper, it is so contracted by a heavy cord around its border as to leave some space between the two sheets when stretched, as shown in Fig. 2.` To the outer edge of the lower sheet is firmly secured the spring-handles a a, bywhich the mattress and sheets are held by firemen or others when'the reescape is in use.

The operation of my fire-escape is as follows: Suppose a re occurs in a hotel, and guests in the upper stories are cut oi' from the stairways and other means of descent. My escape is at once brought from its place of storage, and is stretched and held up beneath the windows, and the persons in. danger from the flames drop themselves from the windows upon the mattress A, the elasticity of which partially breaks the effects of the fall. The mattress is forced down upon the sheet B, whichf is allowed by its springs to yield until it comes in contact with the lower sheet C, which acquires a suicient elasticity from the spring-handles to completely break the effect of the fall, and avoid any serious injury to the party dropping upon the escape.

The spring-handles are also designed -to break the eiect upon the arms and hands of the parties holding the escape of the weight of the party suddenly striking the escape.

Children and females can be dropped from windows of a burning building with entire safety, `and be caught upon this simple device without danger to life or limb.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The tire-escape herein described, consisting of the mattress A, sheets B C, and springs a b, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The mattress Aand sheet B, in combination with the spring @substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The sheets B C, in combination with the springs b, and spring-handles a, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CORNELIUS HENRY.

Witnesses:

LLOYD BRIGGS, CHAs. HALL ADAMS. 

